Techbargains Reviews

While Nintendo has long been known as a console and gaming giant, it's also been at the forefront of portable gaming since it introduced the incredibly popular Gameboy in 1989. Over the past twenty years, the company has established a pattern with its handheld devices; it launches a system and over a period of time, the company introduces new revisions that shrink the size of the unit while increasing its processing power and adding new features for fans. The latest advancement of this portable strategy is the Nintendo 3DS, the newest portable from Nintendo, which improves on the strengths of the DS line while introducing a surprising amount of technology into a compact unit.

Some features and specifications of the Nintendo 3DS include:

3D functionality without use of active or passive glasses

Two rear facing 3D cameras and one 2D front facing camera

Backwards compatible with DSi and DS games

2GB SD card storage that's expandable via SD card slot

128MB FCRAM

Arm 11 Multi-Core Processor

StreetPass and SpotPass programs to connect to Wi-Fi hotspots and other 3DS users.

What We Liked:

Small and Powerful: The Nintendo 3DS is one of the smallest systems in the DS product line weighing only 8.1 ounces, and measuring 5.3 inches wide, 2.9 inches deep and .83 inches high. It's also the most powerful unit in the franchise's history. The system is powered by an ARM 11 multi-core processor and 128MB of fast cycle RAM. It also has two very sharp screens, both of which are capable of displaying 16.7 million colors: the top screen has a native resolution of 800x240, while the bottom touchscreen has a 320x240. Finally, the 3DS is no longer limited to internal storage; the device comes with one 2GB SD card and can be expanded via external SD or SDHC cards.

3D Content Without Glasses: The 3DS can project 3D images and movies without forcing the user to use active or passive glasses, thanks to the inclusion of binocular parallax viewing. This method projects a separate image for your left and right eye, which lets your brain perceive movies and images with depth in three dimensions. Users can adjust the strength of the effect via a slider on the top screen of the device, and it allows users to create their own 3D images via the two external cameras on the top of the handheld. As a result, you'll find that the device does a pretty good job of recreating the 3D effect during use.

Wide Range of Games: Apart from the 3DS games, older DS and DSi games can be played on the system thanks to its backwards compatibility. The 3DS also comes packed with built in games to amuse you at all times. The Face Raiders game uses the system's cameras, motion and gyroscope sensors to create an amusing augmented reality shooter. Each 3DS also comes with AR cards, which can be used to play fishing or archery games on any flat surface, as well as take 3D pictures of classic Nintendo characters. With these features, you've always got something that you can play or mess around with at your fingertips.

Hidden Features: Unlike other game systems, the 3DS has a lot of hidden features that users will find as they explore different modes or functions of the device. For example, the 3DS has an activity log that tracks the number of minutes you play games on the system and the number of steps you've taken with the system. For every hundred steps you take, you earn a play coin that can be redeemed in AR games or compatible 3DS games for bonus unlockable content. This can help get players actively moving instead of sitting in one spot and playing games for hours.

Social Gaming Device: Many of the elements of the 3DS were clearly designed with social gaming in mind. The StreetPass feature allows users to trade data with other 3DS users in Wi-Fi range, so you can trade Mii avatars, user info and other facts even with the system in sleep mode. This can also help set up multiplayer matches or allow players to use avatars within the Mii Plaza, which is a large lobby set up on each device. In fact, the more people you contact and make friends with, the more you can unlock and explore on the system. For instance, traded info can be used in a hidden RPG driven adventure in the Mii Plaza called Find Mii, where you battle ghosts, skeletons and other creatures as you explore different environments.

What We Didn't Like:

3D Functionality: We listed the 3D as a plus, particularly because it does work and is cool to see without glasses, but it's got a lot of issues. It's limited to only one person because of the Binocular Parallax viewing process, so you have to pass it around to friends if you all want to look at a 3D object or movie. The viewing angle is also particularly shallow, so you'll have to be directly head on to see the 3D; looking at it on a tilt or from the side will ruin the effect and give you a headache.

What's more, the 3D effect will definitely hurt your eyes. We didn't have a problem with this during slower game sections or static images, but quick moving images or videos that shot directly at the screen could start to blur your vision. You can get used to it, but we found that during prolonged gaming sessions, we'd inevitably turn the effect off. If you're a parent, heed the warnings and don't let your kids use the function if you can help it.

Finally, there isn't a game on the market that currently takes full advantage of the 3D functionality. There may be a clip or a sequence that provides a slight idea of how awesome 3D can be, but the launch lineup has only served to indicate that the 3D is a limited gimmick that hasn't been fully exploited or manipulated by game developers to provide a compelling game experience.

Very Slow: The 3DS may be the most powerful device in the DS franchise, but it's hampered by traditional technical issues. The device is surprisingly slow: apps and games took a long time to load new levels, saved games or even start, which we were shocked by. Even a first generation DS, which is extremely underpowered by comparison, loads games faster.

Battery Life: Battery life for the 3DS was very light in comparison to other handheld devices or even other DS systems. The 3DS only lasts for around 4 hours of gameplay before it needs to be charged, which is pretty horrendous considering that there's no optical drive attached to the device. It's even worse when you consider that the original system could run up to 10 hours without a charge, and more recent DS devices last 16 hours or longer.

The battery was mildly extended when playing an older DS game, but this also wound up eliminating other 3DS functionality. This meant that you can't view the older games in 3D, or use the StreetPass or SpotPass features. Slightly extending the battery doesn't help much if the social functionality of the device is eliminated.

Play Coin Exploits: It's a minor issue, but the Activity Log functionality that's designed to get players to be active to unlock features can be defeated by simply closing the lid of the 3DS and shaking the device. We don't think that kids will just sit around shaking systems for coins to unlock features, but you'd think that there was some better control on something like this.

Price: The 3DS costs $250, which is a lot for any portable gaming system; forty dollars more will let you pick up a more powerful PS3 or 360. One hundred dollars less will let you pick up Nintendo¿s Wii, which is stronger than the 3DS as well. There wasn't a solid launch lineup of games, and the ones that will really take advantage of the system won't be coming for months. Plus, promised features for the device weren't implemented at launch, and are scheduled to arrive in later system updates. Add all of that up, and it's a high premium to pay for any system that isn't fully fleshed out when you pick the device up from the store.

Our Verdict:

We were torn about the 3DS. It's an incredible system that can produce 3D movies and images just like Nintendo promised. The system is backwards compatible with older games, and it's packed with loads of hidden features and games to make users much more social and active. Unfortunately, the technical limitations of the system, the expensive price of the handheld and the gimmicky 3D functionality holds the device back. While we think a number of these issues will be worked out in time, only the hardcore Nintendo fan should try to get their hands on this system right now.